Emissions of Ammonia, Nitrous Oxide and Methane During the Management of Solid Manures

Abstract

The reinvestment in agriculture, triggered by the 2008 food price crisis, is essential to the concrete realization of the right to food. However, in a context of ecological, food and energy crises, the most pressing issue regarding reinvestment is not how much, but how. This manuscript explores how agroecology, understood as the application of the science of ecology to agricultural systems, can result in modes of production that are highly productive, highly sustainable and that contribute to the alleviation of rural poverty and, thus, to the realization of the right to food. Drawing on an extensive review of the scientific literature published in the last 5 years, the study shows how agroecology can benefit in particular the most vulnerable groups in various countries and environments. Moreover, agroecology delivers advantages that are complementary to better known conventional approaches such as breeding high-yielding varieties. And it strongly contributes to the broader economic development. Appropriate public policies can create an enabling environ- ment for sustainable modes of agricultural production. These policies should prioritize the procurement of public goods in public spending rather than solely providing input subsidies. They should invest in knowledge and in forms of social organization that encourage partnerships, including farmer field schools and farmers’ movements innovation networks.